Choo Sung-hoon fully showcased the charm of 'Ajosshi' on 'It's a Blessing to Rest'.
On March 17, the 40th episode of the MBC entertainment program 'It's a Blessing to Rest' (directed by Kim Myung-jin, Shin Hyun-bin, Lee Joon-beom, Kim Gi-ho, written by Kwon Jeong-hee, hereinafter 'It's a Blessing') featured the operation of a deserted island restaurant by 'CEO Ahn' Ahn Jung-hwan, his same-age close friend Choo Sung-hoon, and Kim Nam-il, Kim Dong-jun, and Lee Kwan-hee. According to the ratings survey company Nielsen Korea, the broadcast recorded a viewership rating of 5.3% (nationwide), maintaining its position as the number one Monday entertainment program across all channels. The 2049 viewership rating, a key indicator of channel competitiveness and popularity, also ranked first.
That day, Ahn Jung-hwan and Choo Sung-hoon displayed their close chemistry as soon as they met, playfully bickering with each other. When Ahn Jung-hwan assigned a task, Choo Sung-hoon asked, 'What are you doing?' and Ahn Jung-hwan snapped back, 'Anyone would think you were the CEO.' Ahn Jung-hwan, worried about assigning the signboard of the deserted island restaurant to Choo Sung-hoon, observed him at work. Choo Sung-hoon accepted Ahn Jung-hwan's attention, saying, 'I just need to take care of my own things. You must really like me.'
The island Ahn Jung-hwan chose that day was a 0.5-star deserted island, and the reason for revisiting was to catch the seasonal and high-quality ingredient, the sea bream. While on the boat heading to the sea, a conversation about the marriage of Ahn Jung-hwan's son Lee-hwan and Choo Sung-hoon's daughter Sa-rang suddenly arose. Ahn Jung-hwan exclaimed, 'Sa-rang is nice, but I can't give you Lee-hwan,' and Choo Sung-hoon, feeling a bit disappointed, softened when Kim Nam-il said, 'It's a pity for Sa-rang.' This led to Ahn Jung-hwan reacting emotionally, asking, 'What about Lee-hwan?', causing laughter.
The sea bream fishing technique used was new to the audience. It involved hitting the surface of the seawater with a heavy rock to attract the sea bream. In response, the fighter Choo Sung-hoon, who was an expert at hitting, stepped up. His impressive destructive power captured everyone's attention. Consequently, some surprisingly large sea bream were caught, and although Choo Sung-hoon initially grimaced at Ahn Jung-hwan's request to kiss the sea bream, he shyly complied and brought laughter.
After catching a full haul of sea bream, a 'boat makase' was held, where the captain immediately sliced the freshly caught fish into sashimi. Ahn Jung-hwan praised the thick sea bream sashimi, saying, 'This deserves a Michelin star,' while Choo Sung-hoon marveled, saying, 'It's really delicious.' Despite everyone's objections, Choo Sung-hoon showcased an exceptional eating show by excessive wasabi on his sashimi, ultimately resulting in laughter as he searched for water with a bright red face.
Upon returning to the island with three sea bream for the guests' ingredients, Chef Im Young became the first to await them at the kitchen station. Additionally, abalone and turban shell caught by the divers, along with sea bream harvested through razor clamming, were secured as ingredients for the day.
The first dish presented at the kitchen station was 'abalone and turban shell pancake.' Its visual appeal and savory aroma stimulated even Choo Sung-hoon's appetite, who usually does not eat vegetables. Contrary to the saying that lions never graze on grass, he showcased an eating show with bare hands while consuming the pancake.
The next dish was 'fried sea bream.' There were no extras for the workers as each was served to the guests, but Choo Sung-hoon did not give up. He approached the guests' table with a serious determination, as if stepping into the ring for victory, kneeling down to eat the sea bream. His teary eyes while eating the sea bream piqued curiosity about its taste.
Choo Sung-hoon worked hard as much as he ate. He set up right next to the kitchen station, sparkling with a luxury bracelet, fulfilling his role as the sous-chef. When making the final dish, 'sea bream noodle soup,' he personally kneaded and cut the noodle dough to complete it. The kitchen station also prepared 'chive salad' to eat with the noodle soup. After serving all the food to the guests, the workers also enjoyed their meal. During this time, Choo Sung-hoon became captivated by the taste of the vegetables presented by the kitchen station, enthusiastically devouring the chives after the minari, creating laughter.
Meanwhile, the preview released at the end of the broadcast depicted Ahn Jung-hwan and Choo Sung-hoon, partners in a deserted island setting, experiencing conflicts that brought them to the brink of severing their relationship, sparking curiosity.
[Photo] Capture from MBC 'It's a Blessing to Rest'
[OSEN = Reporter Kang Seo-jeong]